Air Date: 8-24-2025

The nature of politics and public policy is that there's always a need to balance opposing interests. Almost nowhere is there a more intractable set of opposing interests than in the attempt to protect children from harmful content on the internet while maintaining free access to adults, particularly because people wildly disagree about what qualifies as harmful and what degree of privacy invasion is an acceptable tradeoff.

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Age Verification Will Kill Free Speech Online - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 6-6-25

KP 2: Can the UK Child-proof the Internet? - Front Burner - Air Date 7-31-25

KP 3: Social Media Is Making Us Self-Censor - The Bitchuation Room (with Francesca Fiorentini) - Air Date 8-14-25

KP 4: Republicans Want to Redefine 'Obscenity' - Here's Why That Should TERRIFY You - What A Day - Air Day 5-17-25

KP 5: Meet the Creepy Pro-Trump Billionaire Profiting Off of Internet Censorship - The Humanist Report - Air Date 8-7-25

KP 6: Freedom to Connect: Aaron Swartz (1986-2013) on Victory To Save Open Internet, Fight Online Censors - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-14-13

(00:46:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the need to demand serious arguments about serious issues

DEEPER DIVES

(00:52:04) SECTION A: AGE VERIFICATION

A1: The Worst Update in YouTube History - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 8-15-25

A2: Age Verification Defeated in Many Ways - Daily Tech News Show - Air Date 7-28-25

A3: Youtube Age Verification Is CRAZY! Trump BACKS Putin, NATIONAL GUARD HIT D.C. | FSTN 95 - Zaid Tabani - Air Date 8-17-25

A4: The Government Is Lying About Online Safety - Taylor Lorenz's Power User - Air Date 5-30-25

(01:19:18) SECTION B: SAVE THE CHILDREN

B1: Roblox Has a Predator Problem - Bloomberg Originals - Air Date 7-23-24

B2: Could the Kids Online Safety Act Harm Queer Youth? - Outward: Slate's LGBTQ Podcast - Air Date 9-4-24

B3: Is Criticism of the Online Safety Act Actually Right Wing? - Pod Save the UK - Air Date 8-6-25

(01:45:50) SECTION C: CENSORSHIP

C1: Censorship, Editing and Self-censorship - Arts & Ideas - Air Date 7-4-25

C2: Censorship, Money, and Gaming Platforms - The Indie Council - Air Date 8-14-25

C3: Anti-Porn Laws' Real Target Is Free Speech - The 404 Media Podcast - Air Date 6-4-25

C4: Age-Gating - Let's Know Things - Air Date 7-29-25

(02:20:34) SECTION D: ANTI-PORN AGENDA

D1: How an Anti-porn Lobby on Payment Processors Censored Thousands of Video Games - Day 6 - Air Date 7-31-25

D2: Mastercard's Banning Porn: Who Should Regulate the Internet? - TLDR News - Air Date 10-22-21

D3: Project 2025 & the Conservative Anti-Porn Agenda: Siri Dahl on the State of Online Sex Work - Private Parts Unknown: Sex & Love Around the World - Air Date 10-15-24

D4: Pornhub Blocks Access Over New Age Verification Laws - The Current - Air Date 1-13-25

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Photo of a stack of protest signs that say “Fight for your digital rights!” 

Credit: “Netzpolitik Demonstration for press freedom in Berlin” by Sebaso, Wikimedia Commons | License: CC BY-SA 4.0 | Changes: Cropped

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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